When Earl Mi acts as a shadow, retracting it at will poses no problem. However, when he becomes the pivotal axis necessary for a Moving Mirage, he cannot retract his shadow. If the shadow is retracted, the Moving Mirage will be automatically dispelled.
Therefore, when they glide through the sky, while the shadows of others can be gathered, Earl Mi’s cannot.
At this moment, the Ghosteye Witches have all undergone Shadow Transformation and are in a state of shadow fusion, making them extremely sensitive to biological shadows, especially with a being like Earl Mi who has a touch of the shadow element.
As long as Earl Mi passes over them, it would undoubtedly alarm the Ghosteye Witches.
This is precisely why Angel painstakingly had Speedy lift them up and cloaked them with an Illusionary Realm, allowing them to pass underneath without detection.
Others might not understand this, but how could the Black Earl not discern the truth?
"Actually, explaining it clearly wouldn’t be a problem, I just find it a waste of words. Besides, there’s always a chance that some curious individuals might keep questioning, which would be even more time-consuming. Moreover, even if they grasped this knowledge, it’s unlikely they’d find any use for it in the future. Providing a brief and mutually satisfying answer makes everyone happy and saves us from unnecessary explanations," Angel replied.
"Although Sanders has never explained to me why he sometimes suddenly becomes insincere, after hearing your explanation, I think Sanders might share your sentiments," the Black Earl paused before continuing, "However, at least you provide an explanation that people can reluctantly accept, whereas Sanders... Haha, no wonder he couldn’t keep Samantha around."
Angel chose not to engage further in the conversation. He dared not gossip about matters involving his mentor and Samantha.
However, from the frequent interactions between Sanders and Samantha, it could be seen that Sanders never regarded Samantha highly, whereas Samantha’s gaze towards Sanders was rather complex.
The Black Earl seemed to notice Angel’s thoughts and deliberately brought up matters concerning Sanders and Samantha. Nonetheless, Angel, listening to the tale, felt it was heavily fabricated yet was too embarrassed to use Truth Magic.
As the Black Earl was eloquently speaking and Angel remained silent, a gentle breeze slowly danced around him.
That familiar sensation made Angel turn his head in confusion, "Speedy? Have you discovered something?"
Speedy did not respond, but instead created a small whirlwind beside Angel. As the whirlwind dissipated, a shiny object fell from it, landing perfectly in Angel’s palm.
Speedy’s actions did not escape the attention of others. Everyone curiously watched the scene unfold before them.
Angel was also unsure of the situation and secretly communicated with Speedy, learning that this object was sneakily taken from one of the Ghosteye Witches when Speedy lifted them.
Because it was shiny, it might be a Treasure. Having followed Angel for a long time, Speedy understood the concept of exploration and treasure hunting, so it handed this object to Angel.
From Speedy’s proud emotions that leaked out, Angel could roughly guess that Speedy was purely trying to please him.
Seeing everyone’s curious expressions, especially Dox, whose eyes were exceptionally bright, emphasizing his curiosity towards what Speedy gave Angel,
Angel decided not to keep it to himself and recounted how Speedy acquired this object step by step.
Then, he opened his palm in front of everyone.
Everyone looked and saw that in the palm was a silvery-white circle, resembling a ring but slightly larger; a normal person might only wear it on their thumb.
This silver circle was made of metal, and its surface was exceptionally bright, presumably from frequent wear by the Ghosteye Witch.
It shone brightly due to its polished surface.
But in reality, it was a very, very ordinary metal artifact.
"Is this a Space Ring? But why can’t I feel any Transcendent aura? Is its Concealment ability really strong?" Vay asked curiously.
The Black Earl remarked, "I think your eyes serve no purpose."
Vay immediately covered his mouth, remaining silent.
After carefully observing for a while, Kaier asked Angel, "Could it be that there are no Transcendent traces because they’ve been eroded by time?"
Angel shook his head, "You can check its material."
Under Angel’s indication, Kaier took the silver circle and after touching it for a moment, hesitated, "Is it Mortal Iron mixed with noble silver?"
Angel nodded, "That’s right, it shouldn’t have been made too long ago, and its purpose is unclear. It might be an ornament, or perhaps an iron ring intended for some binding.
In short: just an ordinary item.
The ’noble silver’ in its materials sounds fancy, but it’s just an ordinary metal, not silver; it’s a silver-like metal. It’s simple to refine and has a silvery appearance when made. Many of the less affluent nobility like to adorn their homes with items made from this material, making their homes look opulent, hence the term ’noble silver.’
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Kaier handed the ring back to Angel, having initially mistaken it for an Extraordinary Item, only to find it worth far less than the materials used in constructing the floors of the Hanging Jail Stairway.
The conversation also reached Speedy’s ears. Although unseen, Angel could sense Speedy’s sudden drop in mood.
Originally intending to casually discard it, Angel reconsidered upon seeing Speedy’s dejected demeanor and said, "This thing might not be a treasure, but I think it makes quite a nice ring."
With that, Angel turned and took Dangross, who was perched on his shoulder.
"I’m wearing gloves, so it’s not convenient for me to wear it. I’ll entrust it to you instead," Angel said, without waiting for a response, as he slipped the ring onto Dangross’s thumb.
Surprisingly, the size was just right.
Dangross also seemed pleased; the object was quite hard and could be used to secretly dig an escape hole if confined in a cabinet again.
After entrusting the ring to Dangross, Angel felt Speedy’s mood improve.
"You’ve trained them well. Such a simple act has made both elemental companions quite content," the Black Earl commented. "However, I must say, your elemental companions have the poorest discernment I’ve ever seen. Both of them do."
"I have no idea from which remote place you found them."
The Black Earl sighed; such easily satisfied elemental companions are hard to come by these days.
Moreover, these two companions harbor great Potential, which even makes the Black Earl somewhat envious. Although he has his own elemental companions, his old fellows wouldn’t become so elated over a useless metal ring.
Reflecting on the Black Earl’s words, Angel found some truth in them. Dangross maintained happiness all day with a bit of quenching liquid, while Speedy seldom communicated but seemed easily content according to past emotional perceptions.
This was perhaps just his Luck... After all, the Tidal World is an undeveloped realm, where elemental creatures lack broad perspectives.
Once the Tidal World is developed in the future, finding such readily cultivated companions could become difficult.
With these thoughts, Angel silently resolved to gather his elemental companions on his next trip to the Tidal World with Lord Rhein. They were still quite new and should be quite easy to sway.